I baked three pies today. I’m not sure how it happened. Somehow it was decided that tomorrow we would have a picnic and a water gun fight, and originally I was only going to bring potato salad, but then I got a craving for rhubarb pie, and then I remembered that Spencer doesn’t like rhubarb pie and that rhubarb pie is kind of an acquired taste, so I should probably make another pie. I remembered that I had frozen some blueberries a while ago, but then I remembered that Spencer doesn’t like blueberries, and I had to reassess. I wound up with a rhubarb, a blueberry, and a mixed berry pie.
Rhubarb Pie. This is what pie looks like when you’re playing it safe.
Why not cherry? You might ask. Well, I hate cherry pie.* I’m also not a huge fan of apple, which I’m pretty sure means I have to move to Canada.
Blueberry on the left, mixed berry on the right. This is what happens when you get a little overzealous filling the pies.
Anyway, now that the pies are done baking Spencer seems a little more open to trying the various pies. Cooking for Spencer has been an adventure from the beginning of our relationship. He’s what I call a “low maintenance picky eater.” ** This means that he can survive on cereal, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and microwave burritos for an as of yet undetermined amount of time, but that each of those items has very specific components. For example: peanut butter and jelly must be on whole wheat bread. Some other whole grain breads are okay, but anything with seeds is out. (Spencer would like you to know that, “Oats are fine.”) Also, it has to be jelly, not jam. Oh, god, NOT jam.
In the beginning his family assured me that he didn’t eat vegetables, which complicated things since he actually keeps a vegetarian diet and I keep a pescatarian diet. I struggled with side dishes because, while he has the metabolism of a gnat, I do not and no one should eat an entire box of pasta with a veggie burger at dinner. After some test drives we found out that Spencer does like vegetables – what he doesn’t like are canned vegetables. We’ve since worked our way through rutabagas, parsnips, beets, kale, and even brussel sprouts, along with the basics. (The basics being broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.***) He still doesn’t care for most lettuces, and he eats asparagus as a favor to me, but we’re making progress. I feel like a food ambassador. I’m considering designing a badge and wearing a suit jacket while making out the grocery list. Now I just have to get him interested in some condiments. It’s killing me that the only one he’ll touch is ketchup.
I wonder how long one has to run away from streaming water to burn off the calories in a piece of rhubarb pie…
*This may or may not be related to my eating two pounds of cherries with my sister Debbie when I was three. I may or may not have thrown up two pounds of cherries.
**Spencer prefers the term “precise eater.” Thanks, Will.
***We don’t keep corn or peas on our house as a general rule. They’re the junk food of the veggie world and I will not support the lie.